Kuwait crackdown continues, Asian women feel the heat Four women who were arrested for residency violations last week shared their stories with the Kuwait Times. Speaking quietly and hesitatingly over the phone, the Filipinas said they are waiting behind bars to be deported shortly at a detention centre in Kuwait. (Kuwait Times will not mention their real names or reveal their identity to avoid compromising their safety). The women were arrested by the immigration police on the street. Liza, a runaway maid was caught on the street on August 19. She was accompanied by her friend, another runaway housemaid. Her friend was a little further away from her when the police conducted a random street inspection. Her friend managed to escape while she couldn’t as the police patrol car stopped right in front of her. “I really wanted to stay for a longer time in Kuwait because I have my family back home to feed. But now I have no choice; I was caught, and will have to go back home. They are already processing my deportation papers,” Liza said timidly over the phone. Six months ago, Liza escaped from a Kuwaiti family whom she describes as “psychologically troubled”. “I was hired directly from a recruitment agency. I told my recruiter that I cannot stay in that house because the people were all crazy”. She explained that her 98- year-old female employer has a son who had just been released from a mental health hospital. “This man has four sons – three of them were psychologically troubled. Only one of his children was not crazy,” she said. Describing what the days were like working for this family, she says: “The man would show me his private parts every day. I told my recruiter that if I stay, I will probably go crazy too. So I ran away.” She escaped with another Filipina who was her neighbor. The two finally landed jobs as sales representatives, and worked illegally for six months. Lennie, another Filipina, was caught with her Egyptian husband on August 17. She is currently fivemonths pregnant. Her Egyptian husband was released as he was employed by a private firm. “My husband has a legal residency. I do not have a visa. I just left my employer and got married recently.I don’t have any legal documents. When the police caught us, they separated us from each other. Now he is free and I am not,” she said adding that she calls him every day. “My husband said, he will do his best for me to stay, but I am mentally prepared to leave. If he really loves me, then he can follow me to the Philippines. I don’t want to be exhausted now at this point when I’m pregnant. I just want to go home,” she said. Lorna, was also detained on August 13 while she was on her way back home from work where she’s employed as a sales lady. Her visa (Article 20) allowed her household employment. “I was caught on my way home from work but I was ready to go. I have my travel documents in my hand because at any time, if police catch me, I can go home.Now, I am waiting to be deported,” she said. Yesterday, there were eight Filipinas inside prison who were sharing the space with as many as 40 expatriates (Indians, Sri Lankans and Ethiopians among other nationalities) who were arrested for residency violations. According to sources, expatriates who were caught with no criminal record of theft or other serious cases can go home in a few weeks. But people who have pending cases like theft such as Lily have to wait for some time. “I have been here since July 5. I was caught with a Filipina who is now already in the Philippines.I am here because my employer filed a case of theft against me. It was a fabricated case of theft because I never took anything from them. But according to the embassy, my case should be cleared first before they can deport me,” she said. According to Lily, she was first detained at Omariya Police Station and was later transferred to the current location. “For over a month, I have experienced many issues inside prison.I was brought to Sulaibiya for finger-printing a few days ago and harassed by the police who brought me here,” she said adding “the policeman wanted to Be iutmad me. He showed me his private parts, but I told him I just want to go home. He didn’t stop, even inside the police station, he took me to a remote corner and exposed himself again and said he wants me,” she admitted.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 05:02:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015